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Your Day-One Guide to President Trumps Conflicts of Interest
Trump is arriving with a lot more baggage than he would like to admit.
Donald Trump takes office today as the most conflicted and ethically problematic president in the nation's history. He refuses to divest from his global business holdings. His company continues to make foreign deals even after he promised to halt them. He owes hundreds of millions of dollars to domestic and overseas banks and other financial institutions. And Trump has yet to release his tax returns, making it impossible to know the full extent of his business dealings, liabilities, and other potential conflicts in the United States and around the world.
On the first day of Trump's presidency, here is a guide to the conflicts and ethical questions that will dog him from the moment he steps foot in the White House.
Trump's Other Home on Pennsylvania Avenue
There was a joke during the presidential campaign: Win or lose, Trump would still have a presence on DC's iconic Pennsylvania Avenue. The Trump International Hotel opened last year in the historic Old Post Office Building four blocks from the White House, charging $850 a night for a room and $26 for a hamburger. Trump's unexpected victory, however, presented a new problem for the incoming president: He will violate the Trump International's lease the moment he takes office.
Trump's lease with the General Services Administration—the landlord of the federal government—bans any elected official, including the president, from having a financial stake in or gaining a financial benefit from the property. Congressional Democrats argue that Trump, under the terms of the lease, must legally divest himself from the 263-room hotel before taking office. If he chooses not to divest, Democrats say the GSA should evict Trump.
The conflicts here are many. Trump's administration will oversee the GSA and handpick its leader, and the agency will in turn be tasked with negotiating with Trump Organization officials over rent, lease terms, and so on. GSA officials have hedged their comments about the fate of the hotel. The agency said in a statement in December that it "plans to coordinate with the president-elect's team to address any issues that may be related to the Old Post Office building." Trump's transition team stayed mum about the lease controversy, while Trump himself has refused to cut ties with the hotel. The Trump International, meanwhile, has courted foreign dignitaries, raising questions about whether the incoming administration was pushing foreign governments to patronize the hotel. This week, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer gave a shout-out to the hotel: "It's a stunning hotel. I encourage you to go there if you haven't been by."
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/your-day-one-guide-president-trumps-conflicts-interest
Donald Trump takes office today as the most conflicted and ethically problematic president in the nation's history. He refuses to divest from his global business holdings. His company continues to make foreign deals even after he promised to halt them. He owes hundreds of millions of dollars to domestic and overseas banks and other financial institutions. And Trump has yet to release his tax returns, making it impossible to know the full extent of his business dealings, liabilities, and other potential conflicts in the United States and around the world.
On the first day of Trump's presidency, here is a guide to the conflicts and ethical questions that will dog him from the moment he steps foot in the White House.
Trump's Other Home on Pennsylvania Avenue
There was a joke during the presidential campaign: Win or lose, Trump would still have a presence on DC's iconic Pennsylvania Avenue. The Trump International Hotel opened last year in the historic Old Post Office Building four blocks from the White House, charging $850 a night for a room and $26 for a hamburger. Trump's unexpected victory, however, presented a new problem for the incoming president: He will violate the Trump International's lease the moment he takes office.
Trump's lease with the General Services Administration—the landlord of the federal government—bans any elected official, including the president, from having a financial stake in or gaining a financial benefit from the property. Congressional Democrats argue that Trump, under the terms of the lease, must legally divest himself from the 263-room hotel before taking office. If he chooses not to divest, Democrats say the GSA should evict Trump.
The conflicts here are many. Trump's administration will oversee the GSA and handpick its leader, and the agency will in turn be tasked with negotiating with Trump Organization officials over rent, lease terms, and so on. GSA officials have hedged their comments about the fate of the hotel. The agency said in a statement in December that it "plans to coordinate with the president-elect's team to address any issues that may be related to the Old Post Office building." Trump's transition team stayed mum about the lease controversy, while Trump himself has refused to cut ties with the hotel. The Trump International, meanwhile, has courted foreign dignitaries, raising questions about whether the incoming administration was pushing foreign governments to patronize the hotel. This week, Trump spokesman Sean Spicer gave a shout-out to the hotel: "It's a stunning hotel. I encourage you to go there if you haven't been by."
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/your-day-one-guide-president-trumps-conflicts-interest
They also cover:
The Foreign Connection
It's Not What You Own—It's What You Owe
Trust Isn't Blind
